As yet another film my aunt had on VHS, we took some time this morning to view it. I was expecting plenty from a film I hadn't seen for almost 13 years, but I did believe it would hold up. So what do I think?
I have to admit that this film did confuse me a bit with its scripting choices, such as the utilization of "twitterpated" to describe undeniable infatuation. For some reason, it felt slightly mature for Disney to make that choice, although we already had Pleasure Island and drunken hallucinations in the 2 preceding films of what I would call the Nativity era of Disney (or, the first 5 years before their 7 years of packages). I liked the acting and did find some of the humor to work, but I noticed that some parts of the film, such as a few scenes with Thumper and/or his sisters, were a tad too mean-spirited. One of the biggest disappointments of this film was the death of Bambi's mother; while it is indeed an emotional scene, it abruptly cuts away to Let's Sing a Gay Little Spring Song. I can understand how Disney thought that perhaps audiences might not desire such melancholy in the middle of WWII, but it was really distracting and overall was not done well as a death scene. I do have to say one good thing about it, though, in that it was a mistake I found Disney improved significantly upon 39 years later. The animation is above and beyond the standards of the Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry-infused 1942, with particularly fluid animations for the fire and also the perfect balance in the scenery between colorful and subdued. It was a sight to look at. Aside from the main song being the improper way to respond to one of the more iconic death scenes in Disney movies, I did overall think the music was above passable.
I am sure that children and their grandparents would appreciate this movie, although they'll probably take the death of Bambi's mother and how it is cut away much harder than I did. For the common viewer, it's overall worth your time for its animation, music, and humor. I'll say it is definitely the right kind of film to conclude an era of actual movies.
I have to admit that this film did confuse me a bit with its scripting choices, such as the utilization of "twitterpated" to describe undeniable infatuation. For some reason, it felt slightly mature for Disney to make that choice, although we already had Pleasure Island and drunken hallucinations in the 2 preceding films of what I would call the Nativity era of Disney (or, the first 5 years before their 7 years of packages). I liked the acting and did find some of the humor to work, but I noticed that some parts of the film, such as a few scenes with Thumper and/or his sisters, were a tad too mean-spirited. One of the biggest disappointments of this film was the death of Bambi's mother; while it is indeed an emotional scene, it abruptly cuts away to Let's Sing a Gay Little Spring Song. I can understand how Disney thought that perhaps audiences might not desire such melancholy in the middle of WWII, but it was really distracting and overall was not done well as a death scene. I do have to say one good thing about it, though, in that it was a mistake I found Disney improved significantly upon 39 years later. The animation is above and beyond the standards of the Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry-infused 1942, with particularly fluid animations for the fire and also the perfect balance in the scenery between colorful and subdued. It was a sight to look at. Aside from the main song being the improper way to respond to one of the more iconic death scenes in Disney movies, I did overall think the music was above passable.
I am sure that children and their grandparents would appreciate this movie, although they'll probably take the death of Bambi's mother and how it is cut away much harder than I did. For the common viewer, it's overall worth your time for its animation, music, and humor. I'll say it is definitely the right kind of film to conclude an era of actual movies.